Improvement in methods of manufacturing bullets



W. W. WINCHESTER. Method of Manufacturing. Bullets.

.No. 2:9,340. Patented Sept. 23, 1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

WILLIAM W. WINCHESTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEWINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN METHODS OF MANUFACTURING BULLETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2l9,840, datedSeptember '23, 1879; application filed July .28, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WINOHES TER, of New Haven, in the countyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certainImprovements in Methods of Manufacturin g Bullets, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to an improved method of manufacturing what areknown in the art as the Keansplit or cruciform bullets. These bulletshave their forward ends provided with closed seams or slits, tofacilitate the opening or spreading action upon encountering a bone orother hard resisting; object. These bullets are provided in the forwardend with a central hole or cavity, a cap or plug to close the same, andwith a series of closed seams or slits extending lengthwise andradiating from the central hole, whereby they are caused to expand andspread the more readily upon encounterin g a bone or other hardresistance.

Hitherto the usual method pursued in the manufacture of these ballsconsisted in casting them in a complicated mold, with the recess andopen slits in the front end, and subsequently finishing'them and closingthe seams by dies. This plan permitted the casting of but few bullets ata time, and rendered the production so slow and expensive that theirgeneral adoption was prevented. A.

My improved method consists in first casting the bullet with the recess,but without the slits, subsequentlyproducingthe slits bymeans of a sawor a knife, of suitable form, actuated by machinery, and finallycompressing the bullet in a die to close the slits.

Figure 1 represents the bullet in its first I form, the figure showiu ga longitudinal section and an end view. Fig. 2 illustrates the bullet asit appears after the cutting of the slits therein. Fig. 3 represents thefinished bullet; Fig. 4, one form of the cutting or slitting tool; Fig.5, one form of the die for compressing the bullet and closing the slits.

The bullet A is first made by casting or swaging in the form shown inFig. 1, with a solid or unbroken front end having a central cavity orhole, a, therein. subjected to the action of a knife or slittingpunch,B, such as shown in Fig. 4, or any other suitable knife, saw, or othercuttin g-tool,whereby the longitudinal radial slits c are formed in thefront end of the bullet, as shown in Fig. 2. After these slits are madethe bullet is acted upon by a die, C, such as shown in Fig. 5, or anyequivalent compressing device, whereby it is compressed and reduced atthe forward end, so as to close tightly the slits and give the bullet asmooth finished appearance. In other respects the exterior of the ballmay be finished in any approved or desired manner.- The hole may be leftopen or closed by means of the inverted sheet-metal shell or cap 0, asshown, or by other ordinary means.

My invention relates solely to the method of producing the body of thebullet.

What 1 claim as my invention is The herein-described method of makingexpansive bullets, consisting in first making the bullet with anunbroken tubular front end, subsequently cutting the slits therein, andfinally compressing the front 'end to close the slits, substantially asset forth.

WILLIAM W. WINCHESTER.

Witnesses: V DANIEL H. VEADER, WM. W. CONVERSE.

The bullet thus made is

